Deltora Heir
by Captain Arianna Trouble
Summary: Lief and Jasmine are expecting their first child when some unseen complications come up...FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first Deltora story, so I hope you like it!

Chapter 1: Preparations

In the summer heat of Deltora, Jasmine awoke from a terrible nightmare. She gasped for breath and felt for Lief beside her. He wasn't there.

Of course he isn't here, Jasmine berated herself. He's in Tora for the full moon meeting. It had been Sharn's idea that Lief should go to Tora every other meeting, for it was better that the people of the west see their king and not just advisors.

Shaking the last bit of sleep from her eyes, Jasmine got up from the bed. Stretching, she decided that she just needed some water to cool off and then get back to sleep. As she left the room, she gazed down at Filli, sleeping peacefully in the wooden crib that Doom had given her and Lief. Both he and Sharn had been very excited to learn that they would become grandparents.

Jasmine instinctively placed her hand on her swollen belly. For nearly nine months she had carried this child, and soon she would finally be able to hold it in her arms.

Walking through the kitchen, she checked the water pitcher. Empty. Jasmine sighed, wishing that she had filled it earlier. Once outside, she gazed up at the full moon, imagining Lief staring at the same moon in Tora, the Belt shining around his waist. She smiled the whole time that she pumped the water.

Back inside, she got a glass and started to pour the water when a dizzying sensation came over her. She dropped the pitcher, not even noticing the spilt water. She struggled to stay standing, but collapsed to the floor. Within moments, Kree and Filli were at her side.

"Kree…Filli…get paper and….a pencil," Jasmine gasped. Both returned quickly, and she quickly wrote a message. "Kree…go to…to Sharn…" A blackness overcame her, and she fainted.

In the palace, Sharn was sleeping deeply when a sudden squawking awoke her. Blearily, she looked around her chamber and realized that something was at the window. With a cry, she noticed that it was a black bird. Crossing the room, Sharn opened the window, and noted that it was Kree, and he had a message. She carefully unfolded the paper and recognized the writing immediately.

_Sharn,_

_Please come to the forge soon. I have fallen. Get Lief!_

_Jasmine_

"Oh!" she exclaimed. Grabbing some stationary from her desk, she wrote a message for Lief. "Kree, if you'd--"

Before she had finished, Kree had taken the note and was flying to Tora. Sharn grabbed a bag from beneath her bed and set out to the forge. I hope I'm not too late, she thought. Fortunately, she had planned ahead and had packed the necessary items long ago. If she was right, Jasmine was about to give birth.

Running down the palace steps, she opened the bag, checking over the birthing supplies. She almost didn't notice the figure coming down the street towards the palace. Sharn glanced at the man, and realized that it was Doom. She called out his name and he rushed over to her.

"What is it?" he asked. She quickly explained the letter, and he followed her to the forge.

"I think you're right," he said after hearing her story. "Anna fainted before giving birth to Jasmine. She wasn't well."

"Then we'll just have to get to Jasmine and comfort her." Sharn said, doubling her pace. She turned the corner and went towards the forge gate, but noticed that something seemed wrong. "Doom--"

"We're not alone."

Okay, that's chapter 1, so please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the nice reviews! Here's Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Voices of Warning

Lief, king of Deltora, was uneasy as he watched the moon, shining brightly above the white city of Tora. He sensed danger. The Belt glowed around his waist, the topaz blazing in the power of the full moon. The emerald and ruby were pale. How could that be, Lief thought. No evil can enter Tora, it's magic is too powerful.

Still, the feeling wouldn't cease. Instead, it seemed to grow stronger. Lief shook his head. The Shadow Lord had been weakened, and could not afford to send a powerful force to attack Tora or Del. Of course, it still existed, and a few followers still were hidden throughout Deltora, but more and more it seemed as if the shadow had given up. This only disturbed Lief more. Plans within plans…. Surely there was one more plot?

"Ah, I have grown to love danger," Lief told himself. I should not dwell on evil thoughts. There is too much good in my life. Especially now.

Gazing out the window, Lief wondered if he should test his feelings. If something was amiss, the opal would show him. If there was no danger, it would simply show him, perhaps on his way back to Del. But if there was something happening…

Without a second thought, he threw his hands across the Belt, and braced himself for the opal's power. Within moments, he was overtaken by a vision.

_A carriage, pulled by black horses, their eyes wild with fear. A scream from inside the coach, a scream he knew well. A creature coming out from the forest, a Vraal. Three figures running to the carriage, and a group of men fighting the Vraal. They were some sort of bandits, by the looks. The door of the carriage opened, and--_

Lief was torn from the vision by a harsh cawing. He crossed the room, and looked out the window again. A black bird was flying towards him. It swooped into his room, and he saw that it was Kree.

He tried to calm the bird, but Kree was anxious about something. He dropped the letter he carried and flew out the window as quickly as he had come.

Slightly baffled, Lief scoped up the parchment that had been dropped at his feet. He was surprised that it had come from his mother. He had expected it to be from Jasmine if Kree had delivered it. With a look of worry on his face, Lief read the letter.

_Lief,_

_You must return to Del now, Jasmine has taken ill. I am going to her presently. Hurry back._

_Your loving mother,_

_Sharn_

On the bottom of the paper, was a quick drawing of a black bird hatching from an egg. Next to it was a question mark. What did this mean, Lief pondered. He looked over the note again, trying to decipher the hidden message. Three words had been underlined. It could simply be emphasis, but why mother?

Now, Jasmine, mother, and a hatching bird. Lief gasped. He had to get to Del. The meaning of his vision seemed all the more frightening as he realized what it meant. Jasmine was in danger, as was their unborn child.

He dashed out of his room, stopping only to awake Barda. Barda followed without question, mulling over Sharn's letter.

"I'll get Zeean. She might be able to send us to Del," Barda muttered. "But why such haste, Lief?" There was a confused look on his face. "She should be fine--"

"Then why would Mother write in code? And besides," he added in hushed tones, "I had a vision. A bad one."

Barda nodded, and ran to find the small Toran leader. Lief hoped that they would be in time…

In a few minutes, Lief and Barda were flying to Del.

Okay, please review! And sorry for yet another cliff hanger.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for the nice reviews! And sorry it took me so long to update, I've been helping my mom with a rummage sale.

Anyhow, here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Tragedy

As soon as Toran magic set Lief and Barda down, they started running for the forge. During their travels, Lief had explained to Barda what he had seen in his vision. Ever since he had turned sixteen, he and Barda had become friends. Even before he was born, Barda had defended his life. What he had believed to be dumb luck turned out to be Barda. He could only hope now that Barda would help to defend his child.

Seeming to read his mind, Barda said aloud, "I will do what I can to help you and Jasmine, Lief. Not because it's my duty, but because you're my friend."

Lief looked to his old friend. "Thank you," he said. He smiled. Barda could be hard at times, especially when they first met, but recently he had become even nicer. Lindal's doing for sure. He knew that they too were expecting a child, but it would be many more months. He had laughed at the idea of Barda or Lindal being a parent, but seeing them together had changed his mind. His own thoughts surprised him. It felt as if he had grown up overnight, so his mother Sharn said. It was true. One night, he was celebrating his birthday with friends, the next his life was saved for the first time by his future wife. Certainly not the last time, though. Through their adventures, they had each saved each other's lives more than once. Barda too.

Barda turned the corner leading to the forge, and stopped in his tracks, turning to Lief. Quickening his pace, he joined Barda, and saw Doom and Sharn at the forge gate, casting long shadows in the rising sun.

"Lief," Sharn uttered. She looked to Doom and came towards him. "I'm sorry, we came too late."

Lief ran inside, trying to hide the anger rising in him. He surveyed the scene. A chair was overturned in the corner, the empty water pitcher near the door. Blood was on the floor, and Jasmine's dagger was lodged in the wall. He yanked it out. He heard Barda come in after him and mutter a curse. Doom and Sharn followed him in.

"When we came, a group of men were leaving. They took off in a carriage, heading towards Broome, I'd say," Doom said quietly.

"They took her?" Lief said dumbly. He was struggling to contain his anger now. No, he thought, I can't let it overtake me. Then the Shadow Lord wins. I must stay strong for Jasmine's sake.

"I can get some horses Lief. We'll be after them and bring them down," Barda said. Lief simply nodded. He wasn't ready for words yet. Not until he had calmed down a bit.

"I'll go with," Doom volunteered. With that, he and Barda left, heading towards the palace stable. Zerry, the stable hand, would give them horses without question. They had saved his life, and would do anything to please Lief, remembering his treachery towards Deltora, even though he hadn't been able to understand at the time. And the fear of the lapis lazuli dragon, Fortuna, had also ensured his loyalty to Lief.

"Lief, Jasmine will be fine," his mother said quietly. He started, having forgotten her presence. "They won't dare to hurt her--"

"It isn't those men I'm worried about. I had a vision earlier. A Vraal attacked the carriage that Jasmine was in," Lief said in hushed tones.

"Maybe it was a different carriage--"

"No, did the one you see have four black horses leading it?" Lief watched as his mother nodded. "I'm sorry. I just feel so helpless. I mean, it's my fault she was taken--"

"Don't you dare think that!" Sharn exclaimed. "How could you think that?"

"The Shadow Lord is my enemy, and he has made it personal to me before, through Jasmine. Now I put her in danger once again by making her my wife."

"Lief, when I was wed to your father, I didn't think of danger at all. It wasn't until after the Shadow Lord came that I feared. Mainly for you," she said, taking her son's hand. "Jasmine has survived without you defending her for most of her life. Anna managed to protect her in the Forest of Fear, and she takes after her mother greatly. No harm will come to her or the baby."

Okay, please tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Rowan is cool!

Chapter 4: Unexpected Company

Bella, Honey, and Swift were the fastest horses in Del. Still, to Lief, it seemed as if they were pack mules. The sun was high in the sky, and he was determined to reach Jasmine before nightfall. If he could get to her, perhaps the vision he'd had wouldn't occur.

Reluctantly, Lief called a halt. "The horses need to rest," he explained. It pained him to think that as he spoke, Jasmine was getting farther away, but if the horses became overtired, they would never get to her on foot.

Doom and Barda were silent as they collected water from a nearby stream for the horses to drink. They drank quickly, as if eager to leave. Swift seemed the most anxious, as if understanding that Jasmine, his usual rider, was in trouble.

A long time later, Doom called a stop at a fork in the road. As Lief and Barda dismounted, Doom started searched the nearby trails. Except for Jasmine herself, her father was the best tracker Lief knew. Even though they had a strange bond as father and daughter, they cared deeply for each other. They were each others only connection to Anna, Jasmine's mother.

Deftly, Doom chose the left path, and as the trio started traveling again, Lief realized that the path was curving more towards Dread Mountain. It was the only place that Vraal could still possibly inhabit. He remembered when they had fought a Vraal on the Mountain, and hoped that they didn't have long or accurate memories. The last thing they needed was a Vraal with a vengeance.

The sun was setting. Lief sighed with relief as he realized that his vision couldn't come true. He hadn't seen any of their horses in his vision, only the black ones. And they were not yet near to the forests of the Mountain.

"Lief," Barda pulled up alongside Bella. "Do you want to rest? We can keep going, but…"

"It is fine, we can rest." Minutes later, the three were huddled around a small fire. For the first time, Lief realized how tired he was. He hadn't slept since before his vision. Then he awoken Barda, and from what Sharn had told him, Doom had just arrived back from one of his many travels. None of them had slept, and Lief felt guilty. If not fro him, neither of these two warriors would be here now, he thought. Doom would still be Jarred of the forge. He would never had gone to the Forests of Silence, and he and his wife Anna would never have been taken to the Shadowlands. She would still be alive, and Jasmine would have grown up with other children.

No, he thought. It isn't my fault for any of that. It is the Shadow Lord's fault. It caused everything. And yet, it had once been a sorcerer, a living, mortal man. No longer.

Lief shivered, trying to fathom how anyone could become so evil. Instinctively, he ran his hand over the Belt. As his hand reached the opal, he felt a jolt. At first he feared that a vision might be coming, but nothing came. In some confusion, he looked up at the red sky. While he thought, his eyes picked up a bright shape in the sky. For a moment, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and hesitated. It wasn't an Ak-Baba, it was a dragon! He squinted, and heard Doom and Barda gasp. Flying to them, was Hopian, the dragon of the opal.

It managed to land on the thin strip of road that Lief, Barda, and Doom had earlier been riding on. The horses whinnied and stamped their hooves, but were more nervous than scared. It wasn't often that they saw dragons. Hopian turned it's magnificent head towards Lief.

"King of Deltora, I have seen what you saw. The one with the black hair, she was taken?" It turned it's large shining eyes to Barda and Doom. "I, like the opal I represent, see the future. Do you wish for me to take you to her?"

"That would be most appreciated, but if you saw what I saw--" But Lief was interrupted by the dragon.

"I can handle Vraal. Should it approach you, I will take care of it."

"And what about the emerald dragon? If you enter it's territory…"

"It shan't harm me. I know it's true name. Besides, I have better relations with the emerald dragon than the lapis lazuli. I dare say those two near hate one another, but not truly."

"What does that mean?" Barda asked.

"Honora was simply defending it's honor when it attacked Fortuna. There is no true feud. Just reputations and ego." it seemed that the opal dragon smiled. "Now, it is time that we leave."

I think my next chapter will be my last. So I promise that it will be longer.


	5. Chapter 5

I just realized that I didn't put any disclaimers on! Well, you should be able to tell that I'm not Emily Rodda. Or am I?

Chapter 5: Fulfillment

Lief left the opal dragon hidden behind a large outcropping of rocks. Hopefully, the Vraal wouldn't smell the dragon and flee. It would be best to rid Deltora of such a dangerous creature. The night was still dark, and he estimated that it was around midnight. Followed closely by Barda and Doom, he led the way around the short bend, afraid of what he would see.

"Shh, listen," Doom insisted. Ahead, they could hear the sound of horse hooves.

"They aren't running," Barda said. "That means they don't think we'll have caught up with them so quickly. We can surprise them."

"We won't surprise them," Lief said quietly. "The Vraal will. As soon as it attacks the bandits, we'll have to get to Jasmine."

Barda and Doom nodded. And now the waiting game, Lief thought. It was only a short time later when an unearthly cry arose from the forests, and with a shudder he remembered his vision. A small militia of men drew their weapons, attacking the Vraal from all sides. Making a signal with his hand, he darted to the carriage, careful to keep an eye on the bloody battle. The bandits were holding up surprisingly well. Ahead of him, the door started to open.

He ran faster. If Jasmine came out, she would be vulnerable. Without a thought, he dove into the carriage. Jasmine was there, surprise on her face.

"Lief!" she exclaimed. Her wrists were tied, and he quickly went to work cutting the ropes.

"Can you walk?" Jasmine hesitantly nodded her head. "I'll carry you if you can't," he advised. She shook her head. He smiled. At least she was still able to be stubborn. After a quick check to see if she was injured, he opened the door on the opposite side of the carriage, and helped her out. Doom and Barda were waiting, swords drawn.

"Ready?" Barda asked, his gruff voice quiet. Lief nodded, and grabbed the Belt. _Hopian,_ he thought. _It's time._

A loud roar filled the sky, and a shimmering figure arose into the sky. The Vraal's cries became furious at the new challenger, and Lief could only imagine what was going to happen. The foursome quietly entered the forest. From a distance, he turned, and saw the dragon fighting the Vraal. It was a magnificent sight. The shimmering dragon in the air, baiting the fighting creature. It was majestic, and strangely beautiful, when the opal dragon released a mighty blast of flame form it's jaws. Lief knew that the Vraal had finally been defeated.

After a few minutes of walking, it became obvious that Jasmine couldn't walk. Lief took her up in his arms. Even though the baby added weight, she was still very light. A short while later, Doom found a cave that could serve as a shelter. Jasmine was left to rest, while Doom and Barda discussed what should be done. In the cave, Lief spoke quietly with her.

"Were those men working for the Shadow Lord?" Jasmine nodded. She let out a small whimper of pain, and he put her hand into his. "It's okay." He kissed her forehead, and left to join the others around the small fire outside.

"She can't have the baby here," Barda insisted. "There could be more Vraal. It isn't safe."

"Jasmine was born under conditions worse than these and she's survived," Doom argued.

"Perhaps the emerald dragon could take us to the Dread gnomes. It is possible," Barda suggested.

"I think it's too late for that," Lief said. "The baby will have to be born here."

"Lief," Barda said, his voice soft. "What do you know about birthing a baby?"

Lief's face turned red. He didn't really know anything. He turned to Doom.

"Fine," Doom sighed. "Barda, collect water, and heat it. Lief, do you have any towels?"

"I have an extra shirt, it's clean," he insisted.

"It'll do. Now," he pulled a bag from his pack. "Your mother gave me this. Her birthing kit. Jasmine will be fine."

The next morning, Lief sat with Jasmine in the cave. His arm was around her shoulders, and in her arms, she held a tiny baby. Baby Anna, heir to the Belt of Deltora.

Tada, the end.


End file.
